


Trailblazer

by rosie__posie



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Magic, Meet-Cute, motorcycle accident, smoking mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26938291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosie__posie/pseuds/rosie__posie
Summary: A meet-cute AU between Galo and Lio, with some help from a Promare.This is a piece I made for Promezine, a charity zine that raised funds for both Immigration Equality and the Center for Black Equity. I’d like to thank the mods of this zine for providing me such a wonderful opportunity! I’m glad to help such a great cause.Zine twitter:@promezineHope you enjoy! 💕
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Kudos: 27





	Trailblazer

Galo Thymos had a hard time meeting new people. His personality, though sweet in nature, was a bit overbearing to those that got to know him. Because of this, the firefighting trainee had trouble making friends. Today, he planned to change that. Standing at the edge of the sidewalk, Galo faced a congregation of neighbors from his complex. The group was having a block party, and Galo took this as an opportunity to finally chat with them. Although the size of the crowd and the cacophonous cheers filled him with a great deal of unease, Galo inhaled a great breath and exhaled a boisterous “Hello” to the first person he shared eye contact with.

Unfortunately, this evening didn’t change outcomes. Like many that met Galo prior, people were uninterested in the guy and his overbearing personality. They responded by either ignoring the man, walking away, or straight up telling him to get lost. After about the hundredth time Galo quoted the line, “I’m planning to become the world’s number one firefighter,” he chose to finally give up and head back to the sidewalk.

He sighed as he looked back at the people, smiling and celebrating the occasion. Stress was beginning to take a hold of him and Galo thought it’d best to calm his nerves with a smoke. As he pulled a cigarette out from a pack in his back pocket, he attempted to find a match or a lighter, only to come up empty. His face sculpt wrinkles of frustration. Exhausted by this night, Galo was ready to pack up and just head back home.

_ Flik! _

A small spark of light burned through the cigarette paper, much to Galo’s surprise. He followed the hands holding such a vibrantly colored lighter. Over the arms of a black bomber jacket, Galo saw a man of short and thin stature, smiling kindly at him. His hair was short but voluminous with a potentially dyed green-blonde ombre. The street lamps subtly showcased this, while also highlighting the distinctness of the young man’s eyes amidst a porcelain face. The pupils sparkled miraculously in the light, showcasing a relaxing lilac color that put Galo into a calming state just by looking at them.

His mouth grew agape at this man’s beauty, dropping the very cigarette that brought this connection together. The stranger huffed at such indiscretion, while Galo just gave an awkward chuckle. A bump of the arm shifted the stranger’s weight, causing him to drop his lighter.

They both lean down to grab the item and their hands manage to brush past each other. Galo looks up to see that same relaxed purple stare, expressing gratitude. In that moment, Galo felt a connection: one that wasn’t platonic, but rather something greater. It was a moment that someone in his shoes would describe years after it happened as the day they met their soulmate. 

Galo would too, if he managed to have a conversation with this person. All he needed to do was say something to them. At least get a name.

“-io!”

A voice broke the silence. The stranger reacted swiftly with a head turn. Galo felt a strong and familiar hurt in his stomach. 

His moment was shattered as his ‘soulmate-to-be’ walked towards the crowd. Even as Galo stood up, that short-statured bob of greenish-blonde hair was difficult to find in the diverse sea of people. It was the most discomforting game of ‘I-Spy’ one could experience, but it was a mission Galo was willing to accept. He felt even greater incentive when the toe of his boot lightly nudged a familiar pink lighter. As Galo reached for the object, he gripped it with a confident fist, ready to spend his whole night in search of his sacred flame.

It wasn’t an easy task: he constantly asked around for a young man with a short green bob and purple eyes, but no one could identify. When people got tired of hearing the description, Galo just spent his time circling the block, frantically searching for anything that matches the appearance. At one point, he thought he found someone with those lush lime-blonde locks, but it turned out to just be a tall shrub dressed up by some kids as a dumb joke.

Nearly an hour passes by before Galo begins to feel exhausted from his soul-searching. As the party’s crowd grew in size, his hopes began to shorten, along with his panting breaths. His eyes still frantically dart around for some clue of where this guy could be, and at the very last second, he finds it. His soulmate’s face within the crowd, laughing and smiling several feet away. Then turning towards the street and whistling for a cab.

Galo tries to yell, but the crowd drowns him out. He tries to wave, but the multitude of heads and hands celebrating in the air block him from the stranger’s vision. His face crumbled and his heart fell once more as the cab appeared. However, his brain clicks with an idea. Galo’s hand reaches into his right pants pocket to find the last thing he could rely on: the pink lighter.

_ Flik! Flik! _

The flame lit strong and bright, like a beacon. ‘Finally,’ Galo thought, ‘hope.’

He raised the lighter and yelled out into the dark once more. In response, the green bob turned toward the voice. Galo brightened up at this news. Even if the crowd still pushed the two of them away, at least the man would have the chance to see and follow the flame.

But then, just as quickly as he turned toward Galo, the man soon turned back, heading into the passenger’s seat of his ride. This didn’t make any sense to Galo; he wondered if he was being shunned or ignored through this gesture. He lowered his arm, and the answer was made much more clear.

The flame was gone. In the midst of his excitement, the wind must’ve blown out the fire, and in doing so, Galo’s chances were crushed by the sound of a car door slamming shut.

The loving spark in Galo’s eyes dimmed. He turned to find a lawn chair to sit in. Sinking his head into his arms, Galo continuously flicked at the lighter, now unable to reignite the strong blaze it did before. After several tries, he just gave up and pushed on the flint mindlessly. He hid his face in his hands, feeling his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. His feelings overwhelmed him with regret, but his thumb remained subconsciously pinched against the flint. A motion he kept repeating to somewhat ignore the pain in his chest.

’It’s over,’ he thought, ‘I’ll never be able to meet him again. Guess I should just head back home.’

_ Fwoosh! _

A strong sense of heat and light scared Galo out of his seat. He fell onto the cement pavement, the lighter thrown out of his hand, as he looked to find the most bizarre thing he couldn’t have even imagined.

A flame appeared before him, floating in mid-air, colored in a neon pink and teal. This wasn’t the weirdest thing about it, though. What surprised Galo the most was the fact that it had a face: a very simple one. One someone could draw in about 5 seconds with two dots and a semi-circular line for a smile. It looked at Galo with a bit of puzzlement, before happily grinning at him. A part of its blaze formed into small arm-like appendages, begging to shake Galo’s hand. 

Galo hesitated, before reluctantly reaching out to offer his own. Expecting to be scorched by the flame, Galo instead was treated with a kind warmth. The apparition expressively shook hands with his new friend. When it managed to finally let go, the fire looked around at his surroundings, curious by the world it is now introduced in. It looked back at Galo with puppy-like excitement, only to fall into concern as it saw the man sadly look back at the lighter on the ground.

It examined the object, somehow familiar with who held it last. Flashes of its owner reached its mind, and the flame understood its newfound mission. The sparks flutter as it turns, targeting green hair from a tinted car window. It looks back at Galo, motioning him to get up and get ready to move.

Galo pays attention, only half-serious about following through, still expecting this fire to be some hallucination he was having. The flame holds a small breath as it moves toward the crowd by a couple of feet. As it does, a small trail of sparks is left behind, floating delicately in the air like fireflies. Galo views them wondrously for a moment, until his brain kicks in the realization of what is happening.

The flame smirks, readying itself for a long trip. It continued to speed through the crowd, leaving these small sparks behind. Galo didn’t hesitate in following. He politely excused himself as he pushed through the sea of people, till he finally reached the edge of the crowd and near the road.

The trail dotted toward the street, leading a couple miles away from the complex. Galo felt overwhelmed just looking at it, wondering how he would even make it in time. He found opportunity in the form of a motorbike, with the cyclist conveniently parking it, keys in hand. Galo managed to say 25 apologetic statements as he rushed to swipe the cyclist’s keys and start the bike. He revved the engine and quickly reversed, then sped forward, the flames being the only guide to his destination. 

The chase continued into downtown Promepolis. As Galo followed the trail left by the fire, the flame itself managed to catch up with the car itself. 

The green-blonde stranger turned toward his passenger window, noticing the peculiar light, wondering what it could mean. He looked behind to see the guiding sparks left behind, each suddenly becoming much smaller than the other. The large flame smiled at his former owner and a small cough could be heard, muffled by the glass window. The stranger blinked. Concerned by the weird flame, he asked his driver to stop the car.

As he did, Galo managed to catch up with the trail. He saw his unnamed crush reaching out to cradle the small flame into his hands, before looking to see Galo heading towards him. The two shared the same calm look together. Galo felt that moment of relief again, thinking he could finally have the chance to speak to this man and learn his name.

However, all those thoughts, along with Galo’s vision, were cut short when the brakes failed to stop his bike from speeding down the road.

_ CRASH! _

* * *

Galo woke to the beeping sound of a hospital monitor. His eyes opened to find his right leg in a cast and his left arm kept on an IV drip. He tried to move his head, but as he did, he felt a swelling headache pull him back into his pillow to rest.

“Don’t overexert yourself,” a voice cautioned, “The doctor said you may have suffered a concussion from that accident.”

Blue eyes met purple. The stranger looked on with concern, his hands cupped close to his chest. Galo managed to sputter a couple words before falling into a coughing fit, “Wh…what happened?”

The man leaned closer, unveiling from his hands what he had been holding close. A pink spark, nearly minuscule in size, remained vibrant and alive. Galo smiled at it, happy to know that this small flame was still alive and burning.

The spark coughed before looking up into the light. It saw the two people it brought together, smiling down upon it. Knowing their job was done, the small flame smiled back at the duo before sighing heavily. The sound stretched, as the tiny fire released all its energy, dispersing within the air, until not a single speck of it was left.

Galo was sad to see it leave; his heart grew heavy. Looking at the man before him, though, lifted his spirits back up. He managed to speak through his pain, “Y’know, after all that has happened, I still haven’t been able to get your name.”

“Funny. I never got yours either,” the small man chuckled, “It’s Lio. Lio Fotia.”

“Nice to meet you, Lio Fotia. I’m Galo Thymos, and I’m planning to become the world’s number one firefighter!”

Lio giggled. Galo blushed. The two continued to talk during Lio’s visit, happy to just be in each other’s company.

  
  



End file.
